I've found a great way to make stained glass windows.
On the Building
Plans page I've added a color page of stained glass.

2

You can print the windows out on paper from a color
printer.
You could print out two copies, glue them back to back, then glue
them in the windows, or if you only needed one side, just glue one
copy in the window.

3

You can print the windows out on transparency plastic
from a color printer. Be sure it's especially made for your printer!
I'm using Hewlett Packard's Premium Inkjet Transparency Film #HP
C3834A. You can get it directly from Hewlett Packard if an office
supply store nearby doesn't have it.

4

Do not try to print on any old plastic! I won't be
responsible for anyone screwing up their printer by using the wrong
stuff.
If you have a printer other than an HP, call the manufacturer and
ask them what kind of transparency they would suggest.

5

When printed, simply cut out the plastic window and glue it into
place.
For an even nicer effect, combine the stained glass window along
with the stone tracery (shown in the next section).

Window Tracery

1

Here's a way to make stone tracery. It's not the easiest,
but it has a nice effect.
On the Building
Plans page I've added a window tracery page. It's an Adobe Acrobat
file, so you'll need Acrobat to open it.

2

Glue down the tracery page onto a piece of cereal
box. You can use thicker card stock for a better effect, but it's
much more difficult to cut.
A glue stick works the best. If you use elmer's, it stays wet for
a long time and warps the paper.

Using a hobby knife, cut the details out of the windows. I'm
using a cutting board to make the blade last longer and make smoother
cuts.

Test fit the window and see if it needs any trimming before you
paint it.

3

I painted the cathedral using three colors; a dark,
medium and light color of greyish-brown. I'm going to paint the
tracery using the medium color of grey-brown.
I'm using one of these cheap sponge brushes. It puts on a thick
coat (by dabbing it on) and you can throw the brush away when you're
done.

4

When dry, use the lightest color or grey-brown to paint the highlights.
You don't have to do this if you don't want to I just thought it
would add a nice touch.
Add white to the bottom right edges of every part of the tracery.

5

Here's what the tracery looks like set in the window.
It will look pretty good this way without the stained glass (kind
of a cold deserted look).
For my cathedral, I'm going to do both. I've planned the stained
glass windows and the tracery so they would match up perfectly.

6

To do both, cut out the stained glass windows and
also cut and paint the traceries. Carefully glue the traceries on
the stained glass. They should line up nicely. Test fit them into
the window in case they need trimming.
To glue them onto the cathedral, place a small bead of glue around
the outside edge and place them in the window. They should fall
against the curved part of the decorative trim. Use a paintbrush
handle to push the window in securely all the way around.

I did notice an odd thing about printing on the transparency
material. The transparent print is extremely clear. You can see
the colors fine, but you can also see the inside of the cathedral
as well (which isn't quite as realistic).

I would prefer that the windows were translucent. I had to place
a white piece of paper behind the window before placing a light
behind it for the windows shown in this photo (otherwise you would
see the light bulb as well).

I suppose you could print on vellum (a translucent paper drafter's
use) but the print would only be on one side.

7

Overall, I was pleased with the end result. After
finishing this, a lot of new ideas flooded into my head.
If you printed on velum or thin paper, you could make a section
of a dungeon layout with arched windows and stained glass, and the
backside of the windows could be covered with stone. In between
the windows and the back could be small christmas lights lighting
up the stained glass (back lighting). The effect would be nice and
the lights would be hidden.

Any other ideas for this sort of thing would be appreciated.
Feel free to use the message board to share your ideas.